I finished some very springlike socks today, just in time for Easter. They are made from Trampoline, a yarn made from 70% wool, 23% nylon and 7% polyester. It is a little stretchier than regular 75% wool, 25% nylon, and just a titch heavier, so makes a sturdy sock that still does not feel stiff.

My first pair of socks.

Here is my very first pair of socks I knitted. Sitting next to Mary Jo at community meetings I could not help being fascinated by her sock knitting skills. I have been knitting on and off for many years, lately mostly hats on circular needles. But I have never knitted on a 4 double pointed needles. Creation of heel and toes was a complete mystery to me. Well, no more. Mary Jo turned me into a sock fanatic and I have been turning one pair after another. This striped pair was made from self-pattering Opal yarn, using 4 double pointed needles size #1.
The picture of these socks made it on the cover of Mary Jo's DVD, The Zen of Socks. They also made a trip to Europe and back. What can I say, my most precious socks .......


The purple/grey wool socks I made for my son who loves to snow board. They keep his feet nice and toasty. The yarn is worsted wool, I used #5 needles, cast on 40 stitches.

from Mary Jo

I just finished the first sock from some Luna Park 100% Merino wool fingering yarn given to me by my lovely and talented daughter-in-law. Since the yarn is 100% wool, I wanted to reinforce the heel and toe with nylon for added strength. I used Wooly Nylon serger thread which I just knit in along with the yarn. I used white, and it disappeared nearly completely into the yarn, even the brightly colored stripes. The serger thread was recommended to me by a fellow knitter, who didn't like the looks of the reinforcing yarns available in yarn shops. We'll see how it works.

I got the laddered rib pattern on the leg part and along the top of the foot by doing a knit 2, purl 2 rib and inserting a purl row when the color changed. I think it gives the sock a very festive look.

I did the knitting mostly in the car as we drove to McCall, Idaho for a few days of cross country skiing and snowshoeing. The snow was great, the weather sunny, company good - what more could you ask for?

Yesterday I finished my socks with the Regia bamboo blend yarn. I like it very much - it gives a very soft body to the sock. I got the ridged effect by putting in three purl rows about every two inches.


I also paid a visit to a new yarn shop, Sunset Creations, in the tiny town of Palouse, Washington. She had a big basket of Opel yarn at $12 per ball! Needless to say, I got a number of balls. She also had some very nice silk sock yarn, $16 for 425 yards. I got one of those, too. Here is Mango checking out my purchases. The purple yarn is soy based.

Welcome to our Zen of Socks blog!